The stars aligned and the Gold Coast shone for one day in the midst of the some of the heaviest rainfall on record in Queensland. Bright and early on Saturday morning, the sun was shining and just a centimetre from the edge of the Parklands drift track were vast oceans of mud. This was not so good for the drivers and even worse for the crew keeping the track clean, but the photographers on track got some great shots of the drivers launching rooster tails of mud into the air!
An impressive field lined up for the event including Team Motul Nismo driver Rob Whyte and Drift Australia Competitor Eugene Arendsen. The event format followed a ‘round-robin’ style, rather than the traditional knockout, allowing all entrants more track time and more action for the spectators. In practice, Rob Whyte went up against Leighton Smith in the closest battle we have ever caught on camera. The two cars got within millimetres of each other, but without contact, demonstrating the precision of the drivers.
After the first four heats, Eugene Arendsen was in first position with 95 points and Rob Whyte was in second place with 89 points. In the semi-finals, Eugene knocked out Stephen Mountfort and Rob took out Josh Boettcher to progress to a head to head final, with the Toyota Soarer taking on the Supercharged 350z. In the final battle, Rob piloted the 350z around the course in impressive form, edging out Eugene to take the top spot.
With the first round of the Stadium only weeks away, the season is shaping up well for Rob Whyte and Team Motul Nismo in their quest to take out the Stadium Drift Pro Tour for 2010.
Catch the 1st Round of the Pro Tour in Tamworth on the 21st and 22nd of March and for event details and more news, visit www.robwhyte.com.au
